Applicator



taes

3,056,987 Patented Oct. 9, 1962 The present invention relates to anapplicator particularly for applying a liquid coating, as paint orvarnish, to :flat wall surfaces, narrow edge surfaces, corners,irregular moldings, window frames and mullions, and to suitable exteriorsurfaces, particular examples being clapboard :surfaces and side Wallshingles, especially of the shake :type where the rough grain makes thecoating of such shingles extremely difficult and time-consuming whenusing the conventional paint brush.

An object of the invention is to provide an applicator comprising abacking plate having a manipulating handle at one side, a brush pilesurface at the other side in the form of a piece of woven fabric havinga pile of mohair, nylon or other suitable bristle-like fibres, and aresilient cushioning body interposed between the backing plate and thewoven pile fabric to enable the pile surface to be readily compressedinto conforming relation with irregularities in the surface beingcoated.

A further object is to provide an applicator having a resilientcushioning body, and which includes a corner formation disposing arelatively wide portion of the pile surface in one plane for applicationto large area surfaces and a relatively narrow curved portion along oneside for application to corners, narrow edge surfaces, moldings, and thelike, the arrangement being such that either portion may be usedindependently of the other, or when desired both portions may besimultaneously used.

A further object is to provide an improved corner structure wherein aflat cushioning body having a base of woven pile fabric adhered to itsflat under surface is folded adjacent one peripheral side surface tobring such peripheral side surface into the flat plane of the upper sideof the cushioning body where both the peripheral side and upper sidesurfaces are adhesively secured to the backing plate.

Another object is to provide an applicator having a resilient cushioningbody in the form of closed cell foamed rubber or plastic material, asfor instance polyethylene, to the end that the cushioning body isnon-absorbent and therefore will not absorb the liquid coating material.In previous applicators employing a resilient cushioning body havingopen cells such body acted as a sponge to absorb liquid material and toeject it when compressed, making for highly unsatisfactory results inthe application of the coating.

Another object is to provide an applicator having a guide flange alongone edge for guiding the applicator along the edge of a glass windowpane or the like, so that the application of the coating is confined tothe surface adjacent such window pane or the like.

Another object is to provide an applicator in which the cushioning bodyis provided with an extended margin along at least three sides of theapplicator, to thus provide a protective cushioning means to preventcontact of the edges of the backing plate with a wall, ceiling or othersurface adjacent the surface being coated.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationof the following detailed description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings wherein a satisfactory embodiment of the inventionis shown. However, it will be understood that the invention is notlimited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations andmodifications as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scopeof the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an applicator according to one embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation showing the manner in which the backing plateis secured to a peripheral edge of the cushioning body to enable thelatter to be folded to form the corner formation as seen in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of a modification of the'invention having acompressible handle associated with the backing plate; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevation showing the manner in which the compressiblehandle is compressed to change the contour of the pile surface of theapplicator.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS.

1-3, the applicator according to the exemplary embodiment of theinvention shown therein comprises a sheet metal backing plate 10, ofrectangular form provided along one edge with a downwardly turned narrowedge flange 11, having a handle 12, preferably of wood and suitablycontoured to provide a convenient finger grip, secured substantiallycentrally thereof by metal staples 13, these being of U-shape driventhrough the plate 10 from its under side and imbedded in the lower endof the handle.

A resilient cushioning body 14 formed of closed cell foamed rubber, orsuitable plastic material such as polyethylene, is provided in the formof a rectangular block as seen in FIG. 3, and has secured to its underside a piece of woven pile fabric consisting of a woven base 15 having afibrous pile 16 secured thereto in the well-known manner of interweavingpile fibres with .a woven base as employed for instance in theproduction of carpets, pile fabrics, etc. The woven base is first coatedwith a suitable impervious solvent-resistant layer 17 and thereuponadhered to the cushioning body by a suitable adhesive layer 18. Theperipheral edge 19 of the cushioning layer is secured by an adhesivelayer 20 to the under side of the marginal edge portion of the backingplate 10 opposite the flange 11, with the edge of the backing platespaced a short distance from the woven base 15 for a purpose presentlyto more fully appear. Thereupon the cushioning body is creased andfolded at 21 by swinging the backing plate 10 from the full lineposition to the dotand-dash line position overlying the upper surface ofthe cushioning body where it is secured by an additional ad- 'hesivelayer 22, the crease point being inwardly spaced from the peripheraledge 19 as indicated by the arrow A. The dimensions of the cushioningbody and the backing plate are predetermined so that the edge flange 11engages the upper portion of the peripheral edge of the cushioning bodyopposite its folded edge portion. The resultant folding of thecushioning body as seen in FIG. 2 brings the pile fabric into anupwardly curved position covering and projecting from one side edge ofthe applicator, with its upwardly disposed edge outwardly spaced a shortdistance from the side edge of the backing plate 10 to thus provide aprotective cushioning means to prevent contact of the edge of thebacking plate with a surface being coated.

As seen in FIG. 1 the end portions of the cushioning body also projectslightly beyond the end edges of the backing plate 10 to provide aprotective cushioning means against contact of the backing plate withwall or ceiling surfaces adjacent the surface being coated.

The folding of the cushioning body, in addition to disposing the wovenpile fabric along a side edge of the applicator, also compresses themarginal edge portion of the cushioning body contiguous to the fold torender it somewhat denser than the remainder of the cushioning body tothus give increased stability to the edge portion of the applicator. Asa result the edge portion is suificiently resilient to allow it toconform to irregularities and at the same time is sufliciently resistantto pressure to prevent the cushioning body from being distorted to thepoint where the edge of the backing plate 10 might contact the surfacebeing coated.

In FIGS. 4 and 5 there is shown a modification in which the backingplate a is provided with an integrally formed handle 23 having its sidesconverging upwardly to a substantially cylindrical bight portion 24. Thebacking plate is formed of sheet metal having sufficient resiliency sothat upon compressing the sides of the handle together it will resumeits original shape after release of such pressure. As seen in FIG. 5 theinward pressing of the sides of the handle causes the sides of thecushioning body and the woven pile fabric surface to be drawn inwardlyand to assume a slightly convex contour, the degree of curvaturedepending upon the degree of compression of the handle. Also thecurvature of the folded side portion is thus increased. Such change inthe contour has been found desirable in applying coatings to certaintypes of irregular surfaces, as for instance the porous surfaces ofbrick or concrete, or the rough grain surfaces of wood shingles, wheresuch manipulation of the contour of the applicator insures betterpenetration of the coating material.

What is claimed is:

In an applicator for liquid coating materials, a rectangular backingplate, handle means connected to the upper side of said plate, acushioning body formed of a rectangular block of resilient cushioningmaterial having horizontally disposed parallel upper and lower surfacesand peripheral edge surfaces at right angles to said upper and lowersurfaces, and a rectangular piece of pile fabric material comprising awoven base adhered to the entire lower surface of said cushioning bodyand bristly pile fibres projecting from said base, said cushioning bodyhaving one peripheral edge surface adhered to a marginal portion of theunder side of said plate with the marginal portion of said cushioningbody adjacent said edge surface creased downwardly and folded upwardlyto bring said one peripheral edge surface into the plane of the uppersurface of said body whereby a portion of said pile fabric material isdisposed in a horizontal plane and the marginal portion adjacent saidone peripheral surface is convexly curved upwardly from said horizontalplane to the horizontal plane of the upper surface of said cushioningbody, and whereby said cushioning body in the area of said creasing andfolding is compressed to render it denser than the remainder of saidcushioning body, theupper side of said cushioning body being adhered totheunder side of said plate in the same plane with said adheredperipheral edge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,156,270 Smith May 2, 1939 2,961,681 Terzian Nov. 29, 1960' 2,962,745Heroy et al. Dec. 6, 1960 2,975,453 Imhof Mar. 21, 1961

